When there is a requirement for bass drum double beating, the most usual arrangement is to have two bass drums each entirely independent of the other, and each actuated by an independent foot pedal. Because of the inconvenience, it has also been proposed to arrange a single bass drum to be subjected to the beating of two beaters, but these are also arranged with independent foot pedals.
The closest prior art known to the Applicant are manufactured in Japan by Pearl Musical Instrument Co., Sumida-Ku, Tokyo, Japan and by Tama Drum Co., Shumaku/Bho, Nagoya, Japan and sold under the respective Trade Marks PEARL P-850 and TAMA. Both of these, however, utilise the above described independent foot pedals, and in all instances known to the Applicant the double beating has been effected only by use of both feet, and yet it is clearly desirable that a drummer should be free to have a second foot available for the pedal operation of other instruments, for example percussion instruments of a different type.